Sian Blake Murder: EastEnders actress and her two children died from 'head and neck injuries'

The bodies of (from left) Sian Blake, sons Zachary Bilal Kent-Blake, eight, and Amon Ben George Kent-Blake, four, were found at their south London homeMetropolitan Police

Former EastEnders actress Sian Blake and her two children all died from "head and neck injuries", the Metropolitan Police have revealed. The force have also officially confirmed the identities of the three bodies found at Blake's home after examinations at the Princess Royal Hospital at Farnborough Hospital.

The 43-year-old was found along with her children Zachary Bilal Kent-Blake, eight, and Amon Ben George Kent-Blake, four, at the family home in Erith, south-east London on 6 January. The provisional conclusion of their injuries was the result of a post-mortem examination that took two days to complete.

Arthur Simpson-Kent is subject to an international manhunt after the Metropolitan Police began a murder inquiryMET Police

He is believed to have travelled to Glasgow and then Amsterdam before flying from the Netherlands to Kotoka International Airport, Accra, Ghana. Blake and her two sons had not been seen since 13 December when they went to visit family in Leyton, east London, and they were reported missing three days later – allegedly by Simpson-Kent.

On 4 January, police forensic specialists were called to search the family home and the three bodies were found during excavations in the garden just two days later. But Scotland Yard is now facing questions as to why it took so long to find the bodies and why the investigation was not made a higher priority earlier.

The Met has referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which will look at why it took so long for Blake's disappearance to be treated as suspicious.